stion is, Who murdered
her? Was it Mr. Lewis or was it Miss Owen? That's my difficulty.'

He sat down. The farmer, who sat next him, stood up in turn.

'I say what the judge said; let us decide according to the evidence.
Now, what evidence is there against Mr. Lewis? Why, you say the judge
didn't speak out clearly, but he did say there wasn't any evidence
against him. All the evidence is against her, and we ought to act upon
it.'

The next speaker was a rather young man, who occupied a position of
superintendence in a large millinery establishment, exclusively
patronised by ladies. With such associations he was naturally disposed
to be chivalrous. He said:

'I know a lady when I see her. Miss Owen's a lady; anyone can see that
with half an eye. As for Lewis, I didn't like the looks of him at all.
You know they're a wild lot out in Australia. I heard that he came
back for good reasons, if the truth was known. Then look how he lost
his temper in the witness-box! And then, as Mr. Tressamer said, the
very night he got there the murder happened. That looks as if he did
it. He said she didn't give him a latchkey, but I believe she very
likely did, else why did the barrister ask him? And then look at the
hand being cut off. No young lady would go and do such a thing as
that, surely!'

The jury were impressed. The next man was of a shy and gentle
disposition. He did not venture to get on his feet, but threw out a
suggestion as he sat: 'I suppose it must have been one of the two.
There couldn't have been somebody else, could there?'

A withering look from eleven faces rewarded this disconcerting query.
The foreman expressed the general feeling:

'Really, sir, I can't think what ground you have for suggesting such
a thing. The case is difficult enough as it is, without having fresh
doubts raised.'

'Ah, there should ought to have been a London detective brought down,'
muttered another juryman, who had taken little part hitherto. 'One of
them would have puzzled it out, you may depend.'

'Well, I don't see what more you would have,' said the other farmer,
Rees, rising in his turn. 'Here is this young woman, sleeping in the
next room, going out at night secretly, under some pretence of
headaches--why didn't she tell other people about them beside that
chemist?--and here you have her mistress murdered, and the blood found
on the door of her own room the next morning. What more do you want?'

He sat down. It was now the t